CHEP Recycled says it is the largest whitewood pallet recycler in North America, with a footprint of 73 locations and approximately 2,400 employees.

Kyle Otting, CEO of CHEP Recycled, says, “On behalf of our 2,400 employees in North America, I would like to thank the entire Brambles organization, whose support has led to industry-leading safety programs and enhanced the overall infrastructure of the company. The partnership with Grey Mountain is an exciting opportunity for the company to get back to its roots of offering simple, cost-effective pallet management solutions throughout the supply chain.”

Bill Ross, a Grey Mountain affiliate manager, adds, “We are excited to announce the acquisition of CHEP Recycled. We believe there is a clear opportunity for the company to better serve its customers as a standalone business, and we will focus on achieving operational excellence across all 73 facilities. By partnering with the management team and supporting the business with growth capital and additional resources, we hope to further grow CHEP Recycled, which is already the market leader.”

Norm Plotkin will assume the role of chairman of CHEP Recycled, a position he has previously held at four other Grey Mountain affiliate companies.

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), Silver Spring, Maryland, has established a Recycling Task Force created to provide guidance to members, industry stakeholders, state/provincial and local governments and elected officials concerning the challenges facing recycling programs in the United States and Canada.

With China’s waste ban already in place and the 0.5 percent contamination standard taking effect March 1, 2018, SWANA’s Recycling Task Force will develop and support strategies for ensuring the continuation of sustainable recycling programs throughout North America.

“SWANA’s Recycling Task Force will reduce dependency on minimal end markets by creating strategies, developing infrastructures and marketing SWANA’s commitment to sustainable recycling programs in North America,” Kim Braun, environmental programs & operations manager for Culver City, California, says. Braun will serve on the Task Force. “Although we may feel some pressure now, the future holds so much opportunity—jobs, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, invention of the newest technologies and the creation of new sustainable markets, all of which the Recycling Task Force will support.”

SWANA’s Recycling Task Force will include representatives from SWANA’s technical divisions, SWANA’s International Board, local government officials, private sector materials recovery facility owners (MRFs) and equipment manufacturers. The full list of Task Force members will be made available later this month.

“The leaders who will serve on this Task Force have expertise in all elements of recycling in North America,” David Biderman, SWANA executive director and CEO, says. “By tapping their expertise and working with all our industry partners, we will be able to take the appropriate steps to protect and enhance recycling programs in the United States and Canada.

“Now that China’s waste import restrictions have taken effect, reducing contamination will be an obvious focus; however, the Task Force will also evaluate strategies for increasing demand for recycled material, and educate elected officials about the job growth opportunities associated with improving domestic recycling operations to meet this challenge,” adds Biderman.

SWANA submitted comments to the World Trade Organization in August 2017 and December 2017, sent a letter to state agencies, has met with government and private sector stakeholders in both the United States and Canada, and now is creating the Recycling Task Force to continue providing leadership and expertise to help address the current disruption in the marketplace.

EU adopts plastics policy agenda

The European Union has adopted a new policy agenda with the goal that all plastic packaging in the EU market will be recyclable or reusable by 2030. Further, the agenda targets single-use plastics, with the goal of reducing or eliminating them. The strategy, the commission says, is part of the transition toward a more circular economy.

The policy, which requires plastic packaging on the EU market to be recyclable by 2030 and reduces consumption of single-use plastics and restricts the intentional use of microplastics, is designed to protect the environment from plastic pollution and to foster growth and innovation. “There is a strong business case for transforming the way products are designed, produced, used and recycled in the EU, and by taking the lead in this transition, we will create new investment opportunities and jobs,” the commission says in a news release announcing the policy.

Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans, responsible for sustainable development, says in a news releaes about the adoption of the policy agenda, "If we don't change the way we produce and use plastics, there will be more plastics than fish in our oceans by 2050. We must stop plastics getting into our water, our food, and even our bodies. The only long-term solution is to reduce plastic waste by recycling and reusing more. This is a challenge that citizens, industry and governments must tackle together. With the EU Plastics Strategy we are also driving a new and more circular business model. We need to invest in innovative new technologies that keep our citizens and our environment safe whilst keeping our industry competitive."

Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness, adds, "With our plastic strategy we are laying the foundations for a new circular plastics economy and driving investment towards it. This will help to reduce plastic litter in land, air and sea while also bringing new opportunities for innovation, competitiveness and high-quality jobs. This is a great opportunity for European industry to develop global leadership in new technology and materials. Consumers are empowered to make conscious choices in favor of the environment. This is true win-win."

Europeans generate 25 million metric tons of plastic waste annually, but less than 30 percent of this material is collected for recycling. Across the world, plastics make up 85 percent of beach litter, the commission says.

Too often the ways plastics are produced, used and discarded fail to capture the economic benefits of a more circular approach, the commission says. “The goal is to protect the environment whilst at the same time lay foundations to a new plastic economy, where the design and production fully respect reuse, repair and recycling needs and more sustainable materials are developed,” the commission states in its press release.

With the plastic strategy, the commission has adopted a monitoring framework composed of a set of 10 key indicators that cover each phase of the cycle, which will measure progress towards the transition to a circular economy at EU and national level.

Under the new strategy, the commission says the European Union will:

make recycling profitable for business – New rules on packaging will be developed to improve the recyclability of plastics used on the market and increase the demand for recycled plastic content. With more plastic being collected, improved and scaled up, recycling facilities should be set up, alongside a better and standardized system for the separate collection and sorting of material across the EU. This will save around a hundred euros per metric ton collected. It will also deliver greater added value for a more competitive, resilient plastics industry.

curb plastic waste – European legislation has already led to a significant reduction in plastic bag use in several member states. The new plans will now turn to other single-use plastics and fishing gear, supporting national awareness campaigns and determining the scope of new EU-wide rules to be proposed in 2018 based on stakeholder consultation and evidence. The Commission will also take measures to restrict the use of microplastics in products and fix labels for biodegradable and compostable plastics.

stop littering at sea – New rules on port reception facilities will tackle sea-based marine litter, with measures to ensure that waste generated on ships or gathered at sea is not left behind but returned to land and adequately managed there. Also included are measures to reduce the administrative burden on ports, ships and competent authorities.

drive investment and innovation – The Commission will provide guidance for national authorities and European businesses on how to minimize plastic waste at source. Support for innovation will be scaled up, with an additional €100 million financing the development of smarter and more recyclable plastics materials, making recycling processes more efficient, and tracing and removing hazardous substances and contaminants from recycled plastics.

spur change across the world – As the European Union does its own homework, we will also work with partners from around the world to come up with global solutions and develop international standards. We will also continue to support others, as we have done with the clean-up of the Ganga River in India.

The directive on port reception facilities has gone to the European Parliament and Council for adoption.

Subject to Better Regulation requirements, the commission will present the proposal on single-use plastics later in 2018.

The commission says it will launch the work on the revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive and prepare guidelines on separate collection and sorting of waste to be issued in 2019.

Johnny Gold, chairman of the ISRI/PSI subcommittee focused on the rewriting and modernization of the preamble, says the committee has met for more than a year to discuss changes to the preamble. As PSI nears completion of the new document, Gold says the group has two questions that require clarification and member feedback:

Under moisture content, the committee is at a crossroads with the definition stating, “All paper must be packed dry with a moisture content of 12 percent, which is deemed to be the maximum dry limit.” The committee has suggested that the line read, “All paper must be packed dry,” eliminating the percentage.

Under weight discrepancy, the wording related in export is as follows: “No adjustment shall be made on any shipment of paper stock when the weight variation is 2 percent.” The committee has suggested that the line read, “The weight variation remain at 1 percent,” the domestic definition.

“The committee will take the majority advice from our members in terms of which wording will be used. Thank you for your time and consideration. Please advise as quickly as possible,” Gold says in a statement.

Gold, who also serves as president of The Gold Group Recycling Consultants LLC, Swampscott, Massachusetts, asks members to advise on their preference by contacting Gold by email at jgold@goldgrouprecycling.com or by phone at 908-451-9025.

The event provided a forum for packers, brokers and consumers of recovered paper stock to discuss and amend the preamble to the paper stock section of the ISRI “Scrap Specifications Circular.”

Members at the summit agreed that some items in the preamble needed to be listed more generally, including layman’s terms in descriptions. They also agreed that domestic and export transactions and moisture policies should be dealt with separately.

Ellen MacArthur Foundation awards $1 million in grants

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, with the support of Wendy Schmidt, lead philanthropic partner of the foundation’s New Plastics Economy Initiative, has awarded $1 million to five recyclable and compostable packaging solutions designed to reduce or eliminate the amount of plastic ending up in oceans. The awards were made during the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

According to the foundation, more than 8 million metric tons of plastic enter oceans each year. However, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation says the three biggest cleanup efforts address just 0.5 percent of that volume.

The initiative targets lightweight, flexible packaging that is either too difficult or expensive to recycle. Each winner will receive a $200,000 share of the $1 million prize:

The Univesity of Pittsburgh is applying nanoengineering to create a recyclable material that can replace unrecyclable complex multilayered packaging.

Aronax Technologies Spain is proposing a magnetic additive that can be applied to material to create better air and moisture insulation to protect sensitive products, such as coffee and medical products, while still being recyclable.

Akihiko Suwa, CEO of NineSigma, says, “Disruptive innovation starts with selection of the world’s best ideas and technologies. It becomes reality only when there is sufficient additional development support.

He adds, “We are excited to be involved in the New Plastics Economy initiative because the innovators enter a 12-month acceleration program to demonstrate their materials are viable alternatives to non-recyclable packaging.”